Doctors and Nurses
by HannahLouiise
Summary: Bella Swan is the new nurse in an unknown city; Edward Cullen is the doctor who's too big for his scrubs. Can they play nice? AU/AH
1. Chapter 1

Doctors and Nurses

AN: I'm a Brit trying to set a story in America! Excuse the difference in language!

Bella Swan is the new nurse in an unknown city; Edward Cullen's the doctor who's too big for his scrubs. Can they play nice? AU/AH (probably going to change!)

* * *

_3 months earlier_

307... 308... 309! Finally!

I checked my watch – I had made it just in time. The sign on the told me clearly I was in the right place:

**Seattle General Hospital Interview Room.**

I took a deep, calming breath and tugged on my long chocolate hair nervously. This hospital was a hundred times bigger than Forks' local where I'd been employed for the past two years, and it was needless to say I was intimidated. But I wanted to do this; I wanted to spread my wings and move away, get away from that little town.

I had checked my reflection a hundred times to check for pen marks on my face, and I fought with myself to resist checking it again. I adjusted my favourite (and hopefully lucky) red blouse, smoothing it down again. I rolled my eyes at my antics.

_Just knock on that damn door, and get it over with._

I took my own advice and knocked gently on the door; opening it once I heard 'come in' from inside.

I wasn't sure who I was imagining would be my interviewer, but I sure as hell wasn't expecting to be met with such a handsome man. He had blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and he looked to be in shape in what must've been a designer shirt. His skin showed some age, telling me he was an older man, but I wished I could see a photo of him 20 years ago. Or better yet, I wish I could've met him myself.

_What the hell are you thinking about Bella, this man controls whether or not you get to work here! Act professional, god damn it!_

I cleared my throat as he rose from his seat.

'Ah, Miss Isabella Swan?' he asked with a genuine smile.

I nodded. 'Call me Bella, please.'

'Lovely to meet you Bella, my name is Dr Cullen, but please call me Carlisle. I am the Chief of Medicine of this hospital,' he introduced himself, shaking my hand firmly.

I was surprised I was being interviewed by the Chief of Medicine himself - the position I wanted was just your average job, nothing specialised or with responsibility for others.

He motioned for me to sit down in front of the desk. I sat down opposite him, pulling my black pencil skirt down.

"Are those your documents?" he asked, indicating to the folder I had in my hand.

"Err, yes, they are," I said awkwardly, handing it over.

I sat nervously as he looked over my files, fiddling with my fingers.

"So you graduated from the University of Washington two years ago, top of your class – very impressive," he told me, looking up after the folder. I couldn't help but smile widely in return; it was something I was very proud of. "And you've been working at Forks' Hospital since then."

"That's right," I replied in a friendly tone.

"What a coincidence – I used to live and work there about ten years ago," he said, in a very matter-of-fact way.

"Oh wow," I commented, not sure what else to say. In such a small town I was surprised I never saw him before. But then again ten years ago I would have been 14, and I wasn't exactly a social butterfly back then.

"Alright Bella," he set my folder down on the table. I sat up straight and prepared myself as I assumed this is when the interview would really start. "Why don't you start by telling me why you feel you'd be valuable member of our nursing team?"

* * *

I felt good about today. I really did. The interview had gone well, I really felt like I had a chance.

Dr Cullen had made me comfortable when I spoke to him, and I felt like I'd become more and more myself as the meeting progressed. I even managed to crack out a joke or two!

He had told me very politely there were another 50 candidates going for the five nursing positions – those weren't great odds, but to even be shortlisted was an honour. And that it would be at least another month before I'd find out my fate. Then it would be another two months on top of that before I could actually start working, as I'd have to give notice and find a place for me to live.

Which he said was completely understandable.

Dr. Cullen was just a nice guy, and I imagined him as a laid-back boss, but as someone who could get serious when it was required.

I was walking back through the hospital now – it was late evening and the halls were a little quieter than before. I could hear the click of my heels on the floor, and as I wandered toward the exit I decided I could really see myself working here.

I made it back to the reception in a few minutes and I realised it actually wasn't such an intimidating place after all – it would just take getting used to.

_Whoa Bella, don't get ahead of yourself. You don't know if you even have the job yet._

I scoffed inwardly at myself getting excited about something that wasn't set in stone. I approached the girl at the front desk and gave her back my visitor's identification as she handed me a form to fill out.

It was when I was bent over the desk, signing my name, when a conversation nearby peaked my interest. They spoke in hushed tones but it was silent in reception, so I could hear the conversation clearly.

"It doesn't get any easier, man," a male voice said sadly. He sounded like he was trying to hold it together, but underneath he wanted to show his true emotion. "How do you tell someone's young daughter that their mother is going to die? Very soon, at that."

I guessed he was a doctor, but I didn't look his way. It was none of my business and I scolded myself for listening in.

I sympathized with the mystery man though, no matter how long you worked here, death was still sad, especially when children were involved.

"I know, but its best she just knew the truth, instead of being lied to," a second male replied, and I froze at his words. I shook my head to stop the memories of my childhood returning.

I bit my lip to stop myself from reacting like an emotional fool, and I quickly handed the form back over the desk, mumbling a thanks of some sort.

It was only when I stood up to leave that I locked eyes with him.

He was beautiful; there was no other way to describe it.

His hair was messy, like he'd just got out of bed, and a strange bronze colour I'd never seen before. His face was something you'd see from Vogue magazine, perfectly symmetrical and angular. It was somehow familiar, but I knew for a fact I'd never seen him before. There was no way I'd forget him.

He wore a tight blue shirt tucked into jeans, and casual trainers. The stethoscope draped around his neck was a dead giveaway he was a doctor here.

His emerald eyes bore into mine, and I felt as though we had some unsaid connection. Something about them just drew me in, and I could tear my eyes away.

"Edward?" the second, bigger, male asked. He wore surgical scrubs, and I assumed he also worked here, though his back was to me. His voice told me this 'Edward' was the doctor I heard just a second ago.

But he didn't take his eyes away from mine. I waited for him to make the first move – he stepped toward me a second later, an adorable friendly grin growing on his face.

I smiled in return and I heard his companion chuckle to himself. I was about to open my mouth to introduce myself, when suddenly an ear-splitting beep came from his belt.

His reaction was inhuman – he had it in his hand before the second beep. His face fell as soon as he read it, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Fuck, Emmett she's crashing!" he yelled to the other man. He immediately turned to run in the other direction, and Edward looked at me for a second longer. I gave him what I hoped was a look of understanding and he span and dashed to follow his colleague.

The entire train ride back to Port Angeles I thought about that beautiful man. I wondered if I'd ever see him again. I hoped I would, but I knew it was long shot. I also took a moment to think about his patient… if it was the mother, if he managed to save her or not. I prayed that he did; I didn't want another girl living in the world without her mother.

I arrived at Port Angeles a little after midnight, and exhausted, climbed into my truck for the hour long drive back to Forks. My mind was still on Edward, even when I walked through the door to find my dad asleep on the sofa, the TV buzzing quietly in the corner. I switched off the TV and covered my dad with a blanket.

That stupid old man had tried his hardest to stay awake for me, but to no avail. I chuckled softly, placing a kiss on his head.

Leaving him would be the only downside of moving away. It may have been why I didn't apply for jobs elsewhere sooner – I didn't feel that I could leave him again so soon after college.

That night when I finally crawled into bed, I dreamt about Edward. I dreamt we went for coffee and that we were a perfect match, joking and laughing for hours. It ended with a sweet kiss, and I sighed like a love struck teenager when I recalled it the next morning when I travelled to work.

It was a month later, exactly to the day, that I got the best news of my life.

* * *

So, what do you think?

Those reading Into The Spotlight – it WILL be finished! I've just had this buzzing around in my head for weeks and I had to type it up, even just to get it out. The next chapter is half finished.

I know this chapter's quite short but it's more just an introduction. And sorry if it seems rushed. I don't think of myself as a writer, just someone who has ideas and finds it a good distraction from life.

Just a warning, that it's unlikely anything will be updated over the next few weeks, just because I've got coursework and exams and interviews for university next week!

Please tell me what you think

HannahLouiise


	2. Chapter 2

Doctors and Nurses

Reader warning: There's swearing, sexual references, talk of death etc. in this story so it's very likely it will be moved to an M soon.

* * *

_BPOV_

_Present time_

Why did I decide to drive here? The traffic was terrible; I nearly collided with idiots pulling out without looking several times and I had been driving around the parking lot for a good fifteen minutes trying to find a space.

My dad had offered to replace my old truck with a newer, more reliable car once I told him I was moving to the city. Breaking down on a country lane was fine for Forks, but breaking down on a busy freeway was something that could get me killed.

Of course I rejected his offer, but we eventually ended up going 50/50. It was an alright car – it worked and was reliable, and that's all that matters. But I didn't imagine bringing a car would be so much hassle.

I had moved in just two days before into a small apartment on the other side of town – it was cheap and in a relatively nice area. Though I hadn't finished unpacking all my belongings yet – my front room was piled high with labelled cardboard boxes. My dad had followed me in his car with some of my stuff and helped me unpacked the necessities, but that meant was still a lot for more left to sort.

Why didn't I move down here last week? After all I had been paying for my rent since last Monday, but the hospital were so desperately understaffed, they practically begged me to stay on one last week. I just had to give in.

_Damn!_ Why is parking so awful here?

I think I'll have to find out if there's a bus service here or something, cause at this rate I'm going to the late for my first day!

My eyes finally fell upon a spot near the front entrance, and I indicated to turn in. It was tight manoeuvre so I was waiting for the silver car coming towards me to pass to make the wide turning.

It was then that the unbelievable happened.

The dick in the fancy silver Volvo had gone and pulled straight into my damn spot, right in front of me!

I sat there, mouth open. Shaking my head in disbelief, I climbed out of my new (used) car and slammed the door behind me, approaching the Volvo's driver. The window was down so I knew he could hear me.

"What the hell asshole? I was very clearly indicating to turn, that spot was mine!" I yelled, knowing there was no chance I'd be in at work on time. Maybe I should've just driven away like an adult and found another space, but I felt like a needed to blame someone.

The door opened, and he replied just as bitterly, "Well maybe if you'd gone in straight away instead waiting like an idiot, I wouldn't have thought you were giving it away!"

Then I got a look at his face.

My eyes widened in disbelief. It was_ him_, the beautiful man I met three months ago.

"I didn't want to hit your car," I replied, my anger dissipating at the memory, my breath catching in my throat. Something in his face told me he recognised me too, though his impassive expression faltered for only a second.

"Gee, thanks. Well now my car is dent free and I have a spot right outside the entrance," he replied casually, almost boasting, swinging his bag over his shoulder.

His answer shocked me, and it took a moment for me to respond. My attitude towards him changed again almost instantly.

"Are you being serious?" I questioned, and he looked back at me confused, raising an eyebrow.

"Did I forget something?"

"Yeah, an apology would be nice. Thanks to you I'm going to be late," I told him, crossing my arms. I could see people getting annoyed at just leaving my car in the middle of the lot, but I pretended I didn't notice.

"Not my problem," he said, turning away again and I knew there was no point in calling after him.

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath, jumping back into my black 2005 Ford Focus, desperate to find another space.

* * *

I arrived at the nurses' station fifteen minutes late for my 9AM shift, and I apologised profusely to my new supervisor. It would make a terrible impression but I knew now for the future to either leave earlier or reply on public transport.

She told me her name Irina, and that she'd worked here for 14 years. She seemed alright – fairly nice, and she let me off for being late with just a warning not to let it happen again.

She told me I'd be shadowing a nurse named Alice for today, just until I got a feel for where everything was. And then she left me alone when she was suddenly paged. The hospital was busy today and I observed silently as I pondered what had just happened.

I had managed calm myself down by now, but I was still so angry how that man had treated me. Was I imagining meeting him three months ago? He seemed like such a different guy, someone who I was genuinely attracted to. Now I was thoroughly repulsed, and I prayed I wouldn't see him again.

"Isabella Swan?" a high pitched voice asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"That's me," I said, looking at the girl. She looked younger than me – she was at least 4 inches shorter with a black pixie cut and perfectly applied make up.

"Great. I'm Alice Brandon," she introduced. "Shall we start, Isabella?"

"Call me Bella," I requested, nodding to her question.

"Okay Bella," she said, linking arms with me. I was shocked by her actions considering we met only a few seconds ago, but it was comforting at the same time. "You're going to love it here."

Alice had given me a detailed tour of the hospital, showing me nearly every room in the place, introducing me to other nurses and colleagues. I was sure I'd forget it all in a second, put she reassured me not to worry if that happened.

"It's quite confusing, but honestly in a day or two you'll know this place like the back of your hand," she said simply. "So, what's your area of speciality?"

"Back in Forks I was normally working in the ER. I hated the stress of it at first but after a few weeks I loved the adrenaline rush of not knowing what's coming next," I told her.

"Oh God you're not an adrenaline junkie are you?"

"Umm… no?" I answered, not really sure what she going on about.

"Oh, that's cool."

"Anyway, but in this position I'm back as a general ward nurse. Hopefully I'll move back to ER eventually, but right now I'm just so excited to be in a main hospital, in a big city."

"Oh!" she squealed suddenly, scaring me with her enthusiasm. "We should go shopping sometime! I'll show you the best places to go, on a nurses' budget!"

I considered her offer for a moment. "Yeah, that's sounds lovely."

We were back at reception now, where I had to collect my identification badge. It was there, leaning so casually against the desk, where I saw the asshole doctor from before. He was surrounded by three girls, all pretty in a very obvious way. They were nurses; another thing they had in common was that their scrubs were most definitely a size or two small. They were giggling away at something the doctor had said, as he smiled cheekily at the girls, obviously loving the attention.

One of them flipped her hair and pushed her chest outward in his direction, and the other two copied her almost instantly. It was ridiculously hard to try and hold in the laughter.

I nudged Alice as she spoke to the receptionist. "Who's that?" I asked obliviously, pretending I'd never seen him before.

The receptionist interjected before Alice could reply. "Isn't he gorgeous? He's Edward Cullen. He's the hospital stud," she explained in a sickly sweet tone, biting her bottom lip. I so badly wanted to roll my eyes.

"How interesting," I replied, staring right at him. He locked eyes with mine, and had the bloody cheek to wink at me! I looked away immediately and blushed furiously.

"Yeah, but he flirts with everybody. So don't think you're special or something," the receptionist quickly snapped, jealously rife in her now serious voice. Her eyes were very clearly telling me to back off, but I assumed she wasn't his boyfriend so surely she had no right to say that?

"Thank you Jessica, can Bella just have her ID badge now please?" Alice interjected, though I wasn't planning on gracing Jessica with a reply.

We walked away as soon as I had my badge clipped to my breast pocket. "Is she always a bitch?

"Just on Mondays," Alice replied sarcastically, and I laughed. I knew I wouldn't be talking to her much.

I could see Edward watching me walk by out of the corner of my eye, and so I purposely flipped my chocolate hair and pushed my chest forward. I inadvertently also caught the attention of two teenage boys walking past, who's moves fell open, while Edward just stared.

_Jeez, last time I checked I wasn't that much of a hottie. _

"What are you doing Bella?" Alice demanded, though she seemed to think it was secretly funny, judging by the twitching of the corner of her lips.

"Just messing around. I'll explain during our break."

* * *

It had been a long morning indeed. Three nurses phoned in sick for our unit, so we were severely understaffed. Unfortunately as it was my first day, protocol meant that I wasn't allowed to do anything but observe -unless it was required to save a life. I felt so useless, as I watched poor Alice dashing around trying to cover more patients then she could handle. I just spent the whole time following her around like a lost dog, apologising.

"Tomorrow," I began, taking a long sip of hot coffee. "I'll cover all the patients, and you can relax."

Alice laughed. "I would love that. But how about, we're square as long as you tell me what's happening between you and Dr. Stud?"

She inclined her head toward the coffee machine where Edward Cullen was standing, focusing very intently on the brown liquid flowing from the machine.

I took a deep sigh and relayed my story to her. Okay, so much not the whole story. Just that I'd seen him three months ago and he looked like a nice guy, and then this morning he took my parking spot and now I think he's an asshole.

"So you never dated or anything?" she questioned, her dark eyes sparkling at the prospect of gossip.

"God no!" I exclaimed, trying to not spit the coffee I had in my mouth all over Alice. "Why would you think that?"

"Just the way he was looking at you just a second ago… I just thought maybe there was something else," she said indifferently. I pushed her comment to the back of my mind, and asked her something else.

"Have you worked with him much?"

"Not really. He works primarily in the ER, but he has a few patients occasionally on this ward. He's a good doctor, but he's not exactly an advocate for doctor-nurse relationships."

I raised my eyebrow. "He's not one of those doctors who treat nurses pretty much like slaves?"

"Sadly so," she explained, and my image of him was getting worse and worse. "Though most of the female nurses around here couldn't care less, they're so obsessed with him."

"And you aren't?" I asked curiously.

"He's not my type," Alice responded.

"That's fair enough." I changed the subject quickly. "So, are you with anyone?"

The fierce blush spreading instantly across her neck and face gave it away. She looked down and fiddled with her watch. "No," she replied quietly, not looking at me.

"Alice," I teased, trying to get the information out of her.

"Okay okay, there is a guy. His name is Jasper. He's a paediatrician so I rarely see him, but when I do, I feel like my insides melt…" she trailed off, her mind obviously elsewhere.

"How long have you been dating?" I asked.

She hesitated before looking at me, and I knew what she meant. "So you're not together?"

"Not technically…"

"Friends with benefits?"

It was her turn to nearly choke on her coffee. "No! No!" she almost yelled, attracting half the attention of the cafeteria. Then she muttered something quietly under her breath I thought sounded like "I wish," but I wasn't entirely sure.

"Well if it's meant to be, it'll work out," I told her with a smile. "We should probably head back up now."

She nodded in agreement and we made our way out of the packed room, but as we left I saw Edward Cullen most definitely looking directly at me. His nurses had come from nowhere to join him again, and that he had diverted his precious attention away from them and onto me seriously pissed them off.

I raised an eyebrow at him and stood off his gorgeous stare. Then he bloody winked at me. Again.

My mouth fell open by itself, as did the nurses', and I huffed and exited the room. I reasoned with myself maybe he had an eye-twitch but then I told myself that I was being stupid, and obviously this was just Edward Cullen.

"Who the fuck does he think he is?" I complained to Alice as we stood in an unresponsive patients' room as she changed the dressing on his leg.

"That's Edward for you. He's a player, a massive flirt. If you ignore him, he'll get over himself and move on to someone else."

But as I was driving home, I realised I didn't want him to stop paying attention to me. Okay, Okay, call me desperate, but it's true.

I just couldn't get the image of him out of my mind from a few months; he seemed so real, so sweet. But now? He seemed like a cocky doctor who probably thought he was so much better than everyone else.

Maybe I should actually give him a chance instead of going on gossip. But like Alice had said, it was unlikely we'd be working together – we worked in completely different parts of the hospital. Although I was slightly annoyed, or maybe jealous, that he worked in the ER; my area of speciality! If I wanted to move there eventually I hoped he would have gone by then. Or maybe I didn't.

"Gah!" I exclaimed as I opened the door of my apartment, slamming the door behind me in frustration.

I was mentally exhausted from my first day, despite the fact I was mostly just observing. I went to bed earlier than usual that night, trying to forget about him.

But that dream I had three months repeated itself that night, despite all that I knew of him now, again ending in that sweet kiss.

* * *

Thank you guys! Sorry that I haven't updated for a long time, but with exams, coursework, work, university applications and interviews, I've had barely any time for myself, let alone to write!

I always find the first few chapters the hardest (and which have the worst writing quality) so once I've started the content should improve!

Also I'm not a nurse (yet!) or work in the medical field so I won't be using specific terms/practices etc. because I don't know what they are. So forgive me if anything is used incorrectly.

Next chapter: Edward and Bella have to work with each other, and she decides to confront him.

HannahLouiise


End file.
